Improvement in car-couplings



M. RINEHART.

Car Coupling.

Patented Jan. 17, 1865.

Inventor: /ZQ .%4J

Witnesses:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN RINEHART, OF MONROE, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,939. dated January 17, 1865.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MARTIN RINEHART, of Monroe. in the county of Monroe, in the State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Mode of SelfCouplin g Railroad-Oars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing-,an apron or director by which the coupling-link is guided into the mouth of the buffer-head, and so constructed that the cars can be coupled without the direct aid of any person.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct my invention, I will now proceed to a more perfect description of the same.

The bufi'er-head is made in its usual and known forms externally, with a hollow in the ,center for the slide-block, marked A, upon which the coupling-pin rests,it (the said coupling-pin) being held in place by the restinghlock, as shown in Figure 1. The apron is represented in the same figure by letter B, all arranged and in readiness for coupling. It consists of a piece of iron attached to the lower side of the buffer-head by a bolt, which allows it to drop and hang in a perpendicular manner under the buffer-head as soon as the coupling-link moves the slide-block. The apron drops a little below a direct line from the under side of the buffer-head when it is set to guide the coupling-link, and in shape resembles a wedge, increasing in thickness so as to be on a line with the lower edge of the slide-block when it is raised in front of the but-for head.

The principal object of the apron, which has flanges on the sides and is wedge-shaped on the bottom, is to couple cars that are not of a uniform height. It is held in position when set for coupling by hooks on either flange, whichslip over a bolt running through the slide-block, said bolt being also used to move the slide-block in arranging it for coupline.

The buffer-head and apron are represented by wood.

What I claim as myinvention, and for which I desire to procure Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the sliding block A, apron B, with the hook o and link (i, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

, MARTIN RINEHART.

Witnesses:

A. J OHNSON, A. W. KIMMEL. 

